Other sources have told the BBC low morale among staff was also a factor.

Airport operator BAA and BA said they were working hard to resolve baggage issues.

BA, which has sole use of T5, has announced all long-haul services departing from the terminal on Saturday will go ahead, with 293 out of 347 scheduled flights in and out of the airport operating as planned.

'Still some problems'

Customers are being advised to check on www.ba.com for a full list of flight cancellations. Those on cancelled services will be able to rebook or apply for a refund.

Mr Walsh said T5 had a "much better start" on Friday and while there were "still some problems to overcome" the airline was planning to operate "a larger proportion" of its flying programme on Saturday.

"I'd again like to apologise to those customers who have suffered disrupted journeys or baggage delays," Mr Walsh added.

"Our staff in the terminal are being supported by around 450 volunteers and they're working really hard to look after our customers and offer them the world class experience that we know Terminal 5 can deliver."

'Teething problems'

Cancelled flights, a temporary suspension in luggage check-in and baggage delays blighted the opening day of T5, leaving many passengers stranded overnight.

BA blamed a combination "teething problems" for the chaos.

Staff car parking problems, delays in getting workers screened as well as poor staff familiarisation meant many were late to their posts, the airline said.

Whenever in the past BA got into a mess, people helped out, but morale is so low people won't do it any more

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